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“I feel like I can be myself again.”

17 May 2021

For one of our newest partners, joining a franchise was the perfect opportunity to bounce back from redundancy.

Whether it is by choice or just circumstances, there comes a time in your life when you need to make a serious decision about the next stage of your career. When that happens, you will want to be sure you are choosing the right opportunity. For husband-and-wife team, Tony and Rebecca Rivenell, a Granite & TREND Transformations franchise was exactly what they needed to take back control of their lives. 

Whatever your background or experience, you’ve probably thought about becoming your own boss at one time or another. Tony and Rebecca had already achieved this goal running their own design business for many years, as well as a successful e-commerce business. When their daughter was born, Rebecca became a full-time mother and Tony sold his business to move into a more stable corporate position. 

It was during his time working as a Marketing Manager for a leading building merchants that Tony was first introduced to the concept of franchising. As Tony told us, “The company was basically run as a franchise and that was the first time I had really come into contact with the idea. I soon came to realise that they were a really good thing and I had not had that opinion before. The job also rekindled my love of all things related to kitchen and bathroom design!” 

However, unlike Granite & TREND Transformations, Tony’s employers were very hard hit by the first wave of the COVID pandemic and he was forced to accept a redundancy package. Fortunately, Tony was able to see this as an opportunity to move back into self-employment by investing the redundancy money into his own franchise. 

Tony explained, to his wife, “I really need to do my own thing again.” And she said: “You know what, I have been waiting five years for you to say that!” This coincided with Rebecca deciding to work, so the couple worked together to seek out the best franchise opportunity they could.

“I first encountered Granite & TREND Transformations when I renovated my own kitchen several years ago. I decided to completely rip out the kitchen, not a makeover, but ended up regretting it when I realised how painful the demolition process was! So, for a long time after that, the Granite & TREND Transformations makeover idea was in the back of my mind and I was thinking ‘Hey, these Granite people – have a pretty smart concept!’ 

“After looking at all the pain and upheaval that people normally go through with their full refits and all the feedback from customers and suppliers about the need for a greener alternative, I realised that Granite & TREND Transformations had the answer to all these challenges.” 

There’s never been a better time to join us

Many of our franchise partners operate their showrooms in garden centres or other similar shopping outlets, with their workshops located on a separate site. These have proven to be fantastic locations for targeting exactly the right kinds of customers. Tony and Rebecca’s franchise in Milton Keynes, however, is an all-in-one operation that provides a complete service for their customers. Since they joined the franchise and began their training back in August 2020, they have kept up the momentum by starting their marketing immediately, making their first sale by the end of September and opening their showroom in mid-November.

Starting a new business during a global pandemic might seem like a risky venture for those not already familiar with Granite & TREND Transformations but business is booming for the kitchen and bathroom industry. 2020 was one of our busiest years on record with an impressive 100% increase in lead generation. Franchise partners have every reason to feel confident about their future with us, as we launch a number of initiatives to promote this growth into 2021 and beyond. You can learn more about why we’re feeling so optimistic in our COO’s most recent webinar.

Stronger together

Granite & TREND Transformations also offers one of the most comprehensive training and support packages available of any franchise opportunity in the UK. With the backing of our team of industry experts, we are able to give our franchise partners a thorough grounding in everything they need to know and make sure they are prepared for whatever happens. We guarantee that we are there with them every step of the way on their journey to building their own successful business.

As Tony said: “Granite & TREND just get it. They bent over backwards to do what they could when they could, to give us everything we needed. They even helped us get the funding for leasing which we needed. Everyone at head office is awesome – they all genuinely want the best for their franchisees. I have nothing but positive feelings towards Danny and his team. I am really glad we went down this route

“My only advice to other franchisees would be to start hiring people early and get your team trained up as soon as possible. Things start happening very fast when you join Granite & TREND Transformations!”

Are you ready to be part of something bigger? Granite & TREND Transformations is an award-winning franchise opportunity that is at the forefront of a rapidly growing market. Schedule a call with our team today to find out how we can benefit from working together. 


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